Where in Arizona? (1 Viewer)

I am a newer "Birder" and have decided to take a trip to Arizona for some Western Birding. Does anyone have any suggestions on a where to stay? Any tour groups that you recommend? Any help would be great to get me started!

Ive never been there but Ive read the extreme South-eastern part of the state is the best for diversity , especially for hummingbird species.Hopefully someone else can be more specific.

I'd recommend buying the ABA Guide to Southeast Arizona. It will help you choose the birding sites you'd like to visit. From there, choose where to stay.

There are three places to stay in Madera Canyon: Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Kubo cabins, and The Chuparosa Inn (B&B). They're right in the thick of things.

Sierra Vista is a likely stop, and all of the chain hotels are there. There are also birder's beds-and-breakfast in the area, as well as the cabins at Beatty's Orchard (a must-stop for hummingbirds) in Miller Canyon.

The American Birding Association puts out a monthly newsletter, "Winging It." It has ads for several of the B&Bs.

As for the Chiricahua Mountains (my favorite), there are several places to stay: The Portal Peak Lodge, Cave Creek Ranch, the George Walker House (in Paradise, about five miles from Portal), and a few others. I've stayed at Portal Peak Lodge and Cave Creek Ranch and would recommend either.

Camping is an option in all the mountain ranges: the Santa Ritas, the Huachucas, and the Chiricahuas.

The three big tour companies in the US (Wings, Field Guides, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours), along with several others, offer guided trips to this area, usually in winter and in late July/early August. Once the monsoon season starts (often around July 4th), the desert temperatures abate somewhat (we birded in the 70-80-degree range often last July), and hummingbird diversity is at its peak.

There are several very good birding guides who live/work in these areas, and some advertise in "Winging It."

Hope this helps. I find it best to put together a trip by choosing the target birds, then working toward a set of destinations/sleeping accommodations that best fits getting the targets. In general, birders who go to SE Arizona hit all three mountain ranges in a big loop.

If you'd like any more information, I'd be happy to help. SE AZ is one of my favorite places in the world, and well worth the trip for any birder/naturalist.

Steve in Houston

If you decide on the Chiricahuas (which I would concur with Steve on, hands down my favorite 'sky island' in SE Arizona) I would recommend lodging at the AMNH Southwest Research Station. Prices are comparable when you factor in that three meals a day are included. Lodging is especially affordable if you're willing to go dormitory style. The food is excellent and mealtime conversations are always interesting- during high season (apr-sep) the place is full of a steady stream of PhDs, graduate students, and volunteer interns.

There are several excellent guides that know the Chiricahuas extremely well. If you are not familiar with the birds of SE Arizona, I would recommend hiring one for a day or two to get acquainted with the species and the best birding areas in the canyon and deserts at its mouth. Then from there, strike out on your own!

Also, be sure to factor in a few days to cover some of the other sites. There are some local resident species elsewhere in the area worth traveling for. How much time depends on your pace. While I was down there, a friend and myself drove from Cave Creek Canyon to Tucson and spent the night. The following day, we proceeded to cover Sweetwater wetlands, Madera Canyon, Carr/Ramsey Canyons, Patagonia, Kino Springs/Nogales area, and a few stops around Bisbee before returning to Cave Creek that evening. We did fairly well, but of course gave up a few (5 lined sparrow, buff collared nightjar being the hardest to cope with) for the sake of brevity.

After northern New Jersey, hands down my favorite place to bird in the US. enjoy!

I went to Arizona as part of a GCSE Geography trip to America back in 2005, so naturally it wasn't a trip focused on birds. However, in April when I went, there were plenty of exciting desert birds around, most notably roadrunner and gambel's quail, which you should look out for on the motorways. Great for birds of prey, hummingbirds and such.
I stayed in Phoenix, where some interesting birds can be seen. However, I'd recommend somewhere more in the heart of the desert, near the Grand Canyon and close to Utah, where there is excellent birding in Zion and Bryce Canyon.

Just saw the thread. What part of the year were you planning on? Our spring birds can be found in a lot of different areas - with many species. If it still in the winter you might want to go to some different areas.
Steve Gross laid out some excellent locations.
I'm partial to anything in the Southeast corner of the state.

chaderz911 said:

I am a newer "Birder" and have decided to take a trip to Arizona for some Western Birding. Does anyone have any suggestions on a where to stay? Any tour groups that you recommend? Any help would be great to get me started!

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If you are a 'newer' birder such as I am then I would recommend Sierra Vista. My wife and I went in 2006 and had a great time. Ramsey Canyon costs to get in but has free guided tours. You will see five or more hummingbird species at the feeders at any given time, and there are always some expert birders around to give you some help. There is a B&B right there so you can walk to the canyon. I stayed in SV, all the major hotels and eating places are there in town. If you drive a few minutes east of town there is a place called San Pedro House down along the river that will give you an opportunity to see completely different birds then what you see at Ramsey Canyon. Naco was a decent place to cross into Mexico if you have never been, but there are none of the crazy shopping places there, just a few decent places to have a some mexican food and a cervesa